Drum washing machine with detergent supply device

ABSTRACT

A drum washing machine having a detergent supply device supplying water containing detergent to a washing tub. The detergent supply device is integrally formed with a door of the washing machine. The detergent supply device is provided with a discharge unit discharging detergent dissolved in the water to the washing tub when the level of the water supplied to the detergent supply device reaches a designated value. The discharge unit delays the discharge of the washing water supplied to the detergent supply device by a siphon, thus improving the solubility of the detergent.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.2006-0033700, filed Apr. 13, 2006, in the Korean Intellectual PropertyOffice, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a drum washing machine, and moreparticularly, to a detergent supply device to supply detergent dissolvedin water to the inside of a washing tub.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, a washing machine is an apparatus that washes laundry byrotating a washing tub using a motor when water and a detergent aresupplied to the washing tub in which laundry is placed. The washingmachine includes a detergent supply device installed at a designatedside of a main body for supplying detergent together with the supply ofwater to the washing tub.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2003-9847 discloses a drum washing machinehaving a detergent supply device to supply detergent dissolved in waterduring a process to supply the water.

The detergent supply device of the drum washing machine of Korean PatentPublication No. 2003-9847 includes a hexahedral housing provided with anopening formed through the front surface thereof, and a detergentcontainer detachably connected to the inside of the housing through theopening of the housing. The detergent supply device is installed in thefront surface of the upper portion of a main body of the washing machineso that the detergent container is slidably inserted into and removedfrom the main body.

A water supply device to supply the water to the detergent supply deviceincludes a plurality of water supply valves connected to an externalwater supply hose to control the supply of the water, a plurality ofwater supply pipes to connect the water supply valves and the detergentsupply device, and a connection pipe to guide the water that has passedthrough the detergent supply device to the inside of a washing tub.

The above drum washing machine allows the water to be supplied to theinside of the washing tub through the detergent supply device, therebycausing the detergent that is put into the detergent supply device to besupplied to the washing tub when the detergent dissolves in the water.

However, the detergent supply device of the above conventional drumwashing machine has several problems.

First, the detergent supply device is installed in an upper portion ofthe main body far away from the washing tub. Thus, the detergent supplydevice requires the connection pipe to supply the detergent to dissolvein the water to the inside of the washing tub and the detergentcontainer slidably inserted into and removed from the main body.Accordingly, the detergent supply device has a complicated structure andrequires an increased number of components, thus causing a difficulty inmanufacturing the washing machine and increasing the production cost ofthe washing machine.

Second, since the washing machine has an increased size due to spaceoccupied by the detergent supply device, space to install the washingmachine is limited. Further, as the detergent container is provided witha hand grip depressed in the front surface thereof so as to slidablyinsert the detergent container into and remove the detergent from themain body, the hand grip may aesthetically deteriorate the externalappearance of the washing machine.

Finally, since the detergent container is installed in the housing ofthe washing machine, the washing machine may be operated under thecondition that a user does not put a detergent into the detergentcontainer, and the user cannot check whether the total amount of thedetergent put into the detergent container is supplied to the inside ofthe washing tub during operation of the washing machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an aspect of the invention is to provide a drum washingmachine in which the structure of a detergent supply device issimplified, thus being easily manufactured and reducing the productioncost of the washing machine.

A further aspect of the invention is to provide a drum washing machinethat reduces the size of the body of the machine and has anaesthetically-improved external appearance.

Another aspect of the invention is to provide a drum washing machinethat allows a user to see the supply of water into a tub when the wateris initially supplied during a washing operation.

Yet another aspect of the invention is to provide a drum washingmachine, which delays the discharge of water supplied to a detergentsupply device, so as to improve the solubility of the detergent and tosupply only the detergent dissolved in the water to the tub, thusimproving the washing capacity of the washing machine.

Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forthin part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparentfrom the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achievedby providing a drum washing machine including a main body provided withan opening; a washing tub installed in the body of the washing machine;a door opening and closing the opening; a detergent supply devicesupplying a detergent to the washing tub; and a water supply devicesupplying water to the detergent supply device, wherein the detergentsupply device is formed in the door, and is provided with a dischargeunit to discharge the detergent dissolved in the water to the washingtub when the level of the water supplied to the detergent supply devicereaches a designated value.

The discharge unit includes a siphon tube formed through the bottom ofthe detergent supply device to communicate with the outside, and asiphon cap put on the siphon tube forming a siphon channel.

An outlet of a water supply pipe of the water supply device is connectedto the upper portion of a bellows interposed between the opening of themain body and an opening of the washing tub.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achievedby providing a washing machine including a main body, provided with anopening; a washing tub installed in the main body of the washingmachine; a door to open and close the opening; a detergent supply devicedissolving a plurality of detergents in water and supplying thedetergents dissolved in the water to the washing tub; and a water supplydevice supplying the water to the detergent supply device, wherein thedetergent supply device is integrally formed with the door, and includesa plurality of chambers divided from each other so that each of thedetergents can be respectively put into one of the plurality ofchambers, and at least one chamber supplies a detergent dissolved in thewater to the washing tub by a siphon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent and more readily appreciated from the following description ofthe embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a drum washing machine of the embodimentsof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a detergent supply device of a drumwashing machine in accordance with a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a discharge unit of thedetergent supply device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the detergent supply device illustrating aprocess to discharge water containing a detergent through the dischargeunit;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a detergent supply device of a drumwashing machine in accordance with a second embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a modification of the detergent supplydevice of the FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the presentinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elementsthroughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the presentinvention by referring to the annexed drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a drum washing machine of a first embodiment of thepresent invention includes a main body 10 forming an external appearanceof the drum washing machine, a door 20 connected to a front surface ofthe main body 10 such that the door 20 can be opened and closed so thatlaundry can be inserted into and removed from the main body 10 of thewashing machine, and an operation unit (not shown) provided on the mainbody 10 above the door 20 to operate the washing machine.

A cylindrical washing tub 30 provided with an opening formed through thefront surface thereof is installed in the main body 10 of the washingmachine. The opening of the washing tub 30 faces the door 20. Thewashing tub 30 has a double structure including a body 31 of the tub 30and a drum 32. The tub body 31 stores water required during a washingoperation, and the drum 32 is rotatably installed in the tub body 31 toperform the washing operation.

A water supply device supplying water to the tub body 31 is installedabove the tub body 31, and a drain device draining water in the tub body31 is installed below the tub body 31. The water supply device includesa water supply pipe 11 and a water supply valve 12, and the drain deviceincludes a drain pipe 13 and a drain pump 14.

The drum 32 has a drum opening 32 a formed through the front surfacethereof at a position corresponding to an opening 10 a formed throughthe main body 10, a plurality of through holes 32 b formed through thecircumferential surface thereof, and a plurality of lifters 32 c formedon the inner surface thereof so that laundry is lifted and dropped whenthe drum 32 is rotated. The drum 32 is supported by a rotary shaft 15connected to the center of the rear surface of the drum 32. The rotaryshaft 15 passes through the rear surface of the tub body 31 and extendsin a rearward direction from the tub body 31. A driving motor 16 torotate the rotary shaft 15 is installed on the rear surface of the drum32.

The driving motor 16 rotates the drum 32 at a low speed in a regular ora reverse direction so that the laundry can be washed and rotates thedrum at a high speed so that the laundry can be dehydrated.

An opening 31 a is formed through the front surface of the tub body 31at a position corresponding to the openings 10 a and 32 a of the mainbody 10 and the drum 32 a, respectively. A cylindrical bellows 40 havinga high elasticity is interposed between the opening 31 a of the tub body31 and the opening 10 a of the main body 10.

The bellows 40 prevents the water from leaking to a gap between theopening 31 a of the tub 31 and the opening 10 a of the main body 10.Further, the bellows 40 prevents vibration of the drum 32, generated dueto the rotation of the drum 32 during the washing or rinsing operation,from being transferred to the main body 10.

A connection hole 41, to which an outlet 11 a of the water supply pipe11 is connected to supply the water to a detergent supply device 50formed integrally with the door 20, is formed through the upper portionof the bellows 40.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the door 20, which opens and closes to coverthe opening 10 a of the main body 10, includes a transparent window unit21 disposed at the central portion thereof, and a door frame 22installed at an edge portion thereof. The transparent window unit 21 ismade of a transparent material so that a user located at the outside ofthe main body 10 can see the inside of the drum 32 through the door 20during the washing operation. The door frame 22 has a ring shape suchthat the transparent window unit 21 is fixedly installed in the centerof the door frame 22.

The transparent window unit 21 has a double structure including a frontwindow 21 a installed on a front surface of the transparent window unit21 and a rear window 21 b installed on a rear surface of the transparentwindow unit 21. Thus, a hollow is formed between the front window 21 aand the rear window 21 b of the transparent window unit 21. The rearwindow 21 b has a dome shape and protrudes from the door frame 22 towardthe opening 32 a of the drum 32.

In the drum washing machine of the first embodiment of the presentinvention, the detergent supply device 50 is formed integrally with thedoor 20, particularly with the dome-shaped rear window 21 b protrudedtoward the opening 32 a of the drum 32 so the detergent dissolved in thewater in the detergent supply device 50 can be supplied directly to theinside of the washing tub 30.

The detergent supply device 50 is formed in an upper part of the rearwindow 21 b adjacent to an outlet 11 a of the water supply pipe 11 sothat the water can be stably supplied from the water supply pipe 11,which is connected to the upper surface of the bellows 40, to thedetergent supply device 50. The detergent supply device 50 is depressedin the upper part of the rear window 21 b to a designated depth, and theupper surface of the detergent supply device 50 is able to be opened sothat the detergent supply device 50 can contain the water and thedetergent.

Thereby, after a user opens the door 20 and puts laundry into the drum32, the user can put the detergent into the detergent supply device 50formed in the door 20 while the door 20 is open. Then, the detergent putinto the detergent supply device 50 can be dissolved in the water and besupplied directly to the inside of the washing tub 30.

Accordingly, the drum washing machine of the first embodiment of thepresent invention does not require a detergent supply device that isprovided separately from the main body 10, thus having a more simplifiedstructure. Since the door 20 is opened and the detergent is put into thedetergent supply device 50, so as to supply the detergent to the drumwashing machine, the drum washing machine of the first embodiment of thepresent invention facilitates the supply of the detergent. Further,since the front window 21 a, the rear window 21 b, and the detergentsupply device 50 are made of a transparent material, the drum washingmachine of the first embodiment of the present invention allows a userto see the supply state of the detergent during the washing operation.

For this reason, the rear window 21 b is manufactured byinjection-molding an acrylic resin, such as, for example, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The detergent supply device 50 is molded integrallywith the rear window 21 b during the manufacturing of the rear window 21b. PMMA has high transparency and heat-resistance and is easilymanufactured into a product by injection molding, thus being easilymolded into the rear window 21 b.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the detergent supply device 50 in accordancewith a first embodiment of the present invention includes a dischargeunit 51 to discharge the detergent that is dissolved in the water to theinside of the washing tub 30. The discharge unit 51 includes a siphontube 51 a having a cylindrical shape, a siphon cap 51 b, and a pluralityof interval-maintaining ribs 52, so that the water can be siphoned outof the detergent supply device 50. The siphon tube 51 a, which connectsthe inside and the outside of the detergent supply device 50, is formedon the bottom of the detergent supply device 50. The siphon cap 51 b isput on the siphon tube 51 a in such a manner that the inner surface ofthe siphon cap 51 b is separated from the outer circumferential surfaceand the upper end of the siphon tube 51 a, thus forming a siphon channel51 c therebetween. The ribs 52 are disposed on the outer circumferentialsurface of the siphon tube 51 a in a radial direction in such a mannerthat upper surfaces of the ribs 52 are inclined. The ribs 52 separatethe outer circumferential surface of the siphon tube 51 a from the innercircumferential surface of the siphon cap 51 b by a designated space,and separate the siphon cap 51 b from the bottom surface of thedetergent supply device 50 by a designated space.

Hereinafter, the supply of the detergent to the washing machine throughthe above-described detergent supply device 50 of the first embodimentwill be described. As the water is supplied to the detergent supplydevice 50, the detergent in the detergent supply device 50 dissolves inthe water. Thereby, the level of the water in the detergent supplydevice 50 is elevated. When the level of the water in the detergentsupply device 50 reaches a designated value, the water containing thedetergent, which has been dissolved therein through the siphon channel51 c formed between the siphon tube 51 a and the siphon cap 51 b, isdischarged to the outside of the detergent supply device 50 through thesiphon tube 51 a. The water containing the detergent is continuouslydischarged to the outside of the detergent supply device 50 through thesiphon tube 51 a until the level of the water containing the detergentin the detergent supply device 50 is lower than the lower end of thesiphon cap 51 b. A detergent indicator 53 horizontally protrudes fromthe upper portion of the outer circumferential surface of the siphon cap51 b, thus indicating the proper amount of the detergent to be put intothe detergent supply device 50.

A guide portion 60 to guide the water containing the detergent, which isdischarged through the siphon tube 51 a to the washing tub 30, is formedin the rear window 21 b of the door 20 below the detergent supply device50. The guide portion 60 is inclined at a designated angle in such amanner that an upper part of the guide portion 60 faces the main body 10and the lower part of the guide portion 60 faces the washing tub 30,thus increasing the speed of a current of the water flowing along theguide portion 60. Thus, the water is uniformly supplied to the inside ofthe washing tub 30. In more detail, the guide portion 60 is inclined insuch a manner that an upper end 61 of the guide portion 60 faces thefront surface of the door 20 so that an outlet 51 d of the siphon tube51 a can be exposed to the outside, and a lower end 62 of the guideportion 60 reaches the protruding surface of the rear window 21 b. Theguide portion 60 is inclined in a gentle curved line so that the washingwater can smoothly flow along the guide portion 60. The width of theguide portion 60 decreases from the upper portion thereof to the lowerportion thereof, thus increasing the speed of the current of the waterflowing along the guide portion 60. More specifically, the width of theguide portion 60 gradually decreases from the upper portion thereof tothe lower portion thereof so that the cross section of the guide portion60 has a semicircular shape.

In the same manner as the detergent supply portion 50, the guide portion60 is formed integrally with the rear window 21 b during themanufacturing of the rear window 21 b.

FIG. 5 illustrates a detergent supply device 70 of a washing machine inaccordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. Thedetergent supply device 70 includes a plurality of chambers 71 and 72,which are divided from each other so that various kinds of detergentscan be respectively put into the plurality of chambers 71 and 72.

The plurality of chambers 71 and 72 include a detergent chamber 71 and asoftener chamber 72, which are divided by a partition 73. The detergentchamber 71 stores a detergent used in a washing operation, and asoftener chamber 72 stores a fabric softener used in a rinsingoperation.

Generally, the detergent used in the washing operation has a powderystate, and the fabric softener used in the rinsing operation has aliquid state. Accordingly, a discharge hole 71 a discharging thedetergent dissolved in the water is formed through the rear surface ofthe detergent chamber 71, and a siphon unit 74 to discharge the fabricsoftener by a siphon is installed in the softener chamber 72.

Connection holes 41 a and 41 b, to which water supply pipes 81 and 82are connected, that supply the water to the chambers 71 and 72 areformed through an upper portion of the bellows 40, and are interposedbetween the opening 31 a of the tub body 31 and the opening 10 a of themain body 10 at positions corresponding to the chambers 71 and 72. Thatis, a first connection hole 41 a, to which a first water supply pipe 81is connected to supply the water to the detergent chamber 71 is formedthrough the upper portion of the bellows 40 at a position correspondingto the detergent chamber 71. Further, a second connection hole 41 b, towhich a second water supply pipe 82 is connected, to supply the water tothe softener chamber 72 is formed through the upper portion of thebellows 40 at a position corresponding to the softener chamber 72. Thefirst and second water supply pipes 81 and 82 are opened and closed bywater supply valves (not shown) controlled by a controller (not shown).

A flow delay unit 71 b is installed at the front of the discharge hole71 a formed through the detergent chamber 71. The flow delay unit 71 bprevents the detergent in a powdery state from flowing through thedischarge hole 71 a and delays the discharge of the water, thusimproving the solubility of the detergent.

As shown in FIG. 6, a chamber lid 90 may be connected to the open uppersurface of the softener chamber 72 so as to prevent water supplied tothe detergent chamber 71 from flowing the detergent chamber 71 into thesoftener chamber 72. A hole 91 is formed through the chamber lid 90 at aposition corresponding to the second water supply pipe 82 so that watercan be supplied from the second water supply pipe 82 to the softenerchamber 72.

The chamber lid 90 may be formed integrally with the detergent supplydevice 50, or connected detachably to the detergent supply device 50.

Hereinafter, the supply of the detergent and the fabric softener to thewashing machine through the above-described detergent supply device 70of the second embodiment will be described. The door 20 is opened, andlaundry is put into the drum 32. After the detergent and the fabricsoftener are respectively put into the detergent chamber 71 and thesoftener chamber 72 of the detergent supply device 70 formed in the door20, the door 20 is closed and the washing machine is operated. Then,water is supplied to the detergent chamber 71 through the first watersupply pipe 81, and the detergent in the detergent chamber 71 dissolvesin the water. The water containing the detergent is supplied to theinside of the washing tub 30 through the discharge hole 71 a. When thewater containing the detergent fills the tub body 31, the drum 32 isrotated to perform a washing operation.

After the washing operation has been completed, water is supplied to thesoftener chamber 72 through the second water supply pipe 82, and thefabric softener in the softener chamber 72 dissolves in the water. Thewater containing the fabric softener is supplied to the inside of thewashing tub 30 through the siphon unit 74. When the water containing thefabric softener fills the tub body 31, the drum 32 is rotated to performa rinsing operation. After the rinsing operation has been completed, adehydrating operation is performed. Thereby, one washing cycle to washthe laundry is completed. The opening and closing of the water supplyvalves (not shown) is programmed in such a manner that the supply of thewater is performed only through the first water supply pipe 81 duringthe washing operation, and the supply of the water is performed onlythrough the second water supply pipe 82 during the rinsing operation.Thereby, the detergent and the fabric softener are properly supplied tothe washing tub 30 according to the operations.

Other elements of the detergent supply device 70 of the secondembodiment are the same as those of the detergent supply device 50 ofthe first embodiment except for the chambers 71 and 72, the dischargehole 71 a that discharges the detergent dissolved in the water, the flowdelay unit 71 b, and the second water supply pipe 82, and a detaileddescription thereof will be thus omitted.

Instead of the discharge hole 71 a to discharge the detergent dissolvedin the water to the outside of the detergent chamber 71, a siphon unit72 b to discharge the detergent by the siphon may be installed in thedetergent chamber 71.

As is apparent from the above description, the embodiments of thepresent invention provide a drum washing machine in which a detergentsupply device is formed integrally with a door, thus not requiring aconventional drawer-type detergent container and other elements, such asa connection pipe. Accordingly, compared to a conventional detergentsupply device, the detergent supply device has a simplified structure,thus causing the drum washing machine to be easily manufactured andreducing the production costs of the drum washing machine.

Therefore, a space in a main body of the drum washing machine, which isoccupied by the detergent supply device is decreased, thus increasingspace utility. Further, the size of the main body of the washing machineis decreased, thus reducing the limit in the space to install thewashing machine. Moreover, the detergent supply device is installed in adoor, thus aesthetically improving the external appearance of the drumwashing machine.

The detergent supply device, which is formed integrally with atransparent window unit of the door, allows a user to see the supply ofdetergent during the supply of water.

Thus, the siphon unit installed in the detergent supply device to delaythe discharge of the water thus improves the solubility of thedetergent. Further, the siphon unit supplies only the detergentdissolved in the water to the inside of a washing tub, thus improvingthe washing capacity of the washing machine.

Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatchanges may be made in these embodiments without departing from theprinciples and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined inthe claims and their equivalents.

1. A washing machine comprising: a main body provided with an opening; awashing tub installed in the main body; a door opening and closing theopening; a detergent supply device supplying detergent to the washingtub and including a discharge unit to discharge the detergent; and awater supply device supplying water to the detergent supply device,wherein the detergent supply device is formed in the door and thedischarge unit discharges the detergent dissolved in the water to thewashing tub when a level of the water supplied to the detergent supplydevice reaches a designated value.
 2. The washing machine according toclaim 1, wherein the detergent supply device is integrally formed withthe door.
 3. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein thedischarge unit includes a siphon which supplies the detergent dissolvedin the water to the washing tub.
 4. The washing machine according toclaim 1, wherein the detergent supply device is formed in an upperportion of a rear surface of the door.
 5. The washing machine accordingto claim 1, wherein the detergent supply device is depressed in the doorto a designated depth when an upper portion of the detergent supplydevice is opened so as to contain the detergent.
 6. The washing machineaccording to claim 1, wherein the discharge unit includes a siphon tubeformed through a bottom of the detergent supply device to communicatewith an outside, and a siphon cap put on the siphon tube to form asiphon channel.
 7. The washing machine according to claim 6, furthercomprising a detergent indicator formed on the siphon cap indicating aproper amount of the detergent to be put into the detergent supplydevice.
 8. The washing machine according to claim 6, further comprisingan inclined guide portion that is formed in the door below the detergentsupply device, the inclined guide portion guiding the detergent,dissolved in the water that is supplied from the siphon tube, to thewashing tub.
 9. The washing machine according to claim 4, wherein theupper portion of the detergent supply device includes an outlet of awater supply pipe of the water supply device located thereon.
 10. Thewashing machine according to claim 9, further comprising an elasticbellows having a cylindrical shape interposed between an opening of themain body and an opening of the washing tub, wherein the outlet of thewater supply pipe is connected to an upper portion of the bellows. 11.The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the door is made of atransparent material so that a user can see the inside of the main body.12. A washing machine comprising: a main body provided with an opening;a washing tub installed in the main body; a door opening and closing theopening; a detergent supply device to dissolve a plurality of detergentsin water and supply the detergents dissolved in the water to the washingtub, the detergent supply device including: a plurality of dividedchambers divided from each other so that each one of the detergents isreceived in a respective one of the divided chambers, and a siphon; anda water supply device supplying the water to the detergent supplydevice, wherein the detergent supply device is formed integrally withthe door, and at least one chamber supplies one of the detergents todissolve in the water to the washing tub by the siphon.
 13. The washingmachine according to claim 12, wherein the detergent supply device isdepressed in the door to a designated depth when an upper portion of thedetergent supply device is opened to contain the detergents.
 14. Thewashing machine according to claim 12, wherein the chamber, whichsupplies the detergent dissolved in the water to the washing tub by thesiphon, includes a siphon tube formed through a bottom of the chamber tocommunicate with an outside and a siphon cap to be put on the siphontube to form a siphon channel.
 15. The washing machine according toclaim 13, further comprising a chamber lid, provided with a hole, toclose the opened upper portion of the detergent supply device, thechamber lid being connected to the detergent supply device.
 16. Thewashing machine according to claim 15, wherein the chamber lid isconnected to one of the chambers to supply the detergent dissolved inthe water to the washing tub by the siphon.
 17. The washing machineaccording to claim 14, further comprising an inclined guide portionformed in the door below the detergent supply device, the inclined guideportion guiding the detergent, which is dissolved in the water in thedetergent supply device, to the washing tub.
 18. The washing machineaccording to claim 12, wherein the door is made of a transparentmaterial so that a user can see an inside of the main body.
 19. Awashing machine, comprising: a door; a washing tub; and a detergentsupply device formed in the door and supplying a detergent, thedetergent supply device including a discharge unit discharging detergentdissolved in water to the washing tub when a level of the water suppliedto the detergent supply device reaches a designated value.
 20. Adetergent supply device used with a washing machine having a window anda washing tub, comprising: a discharge unit; and an inclined guideportion formed in the window of the washing machine, wherein detergentsupplied in the detergent supply device and dissolved in water suppliedto the detergent supply device is siphoned through the discharge unit tothe inclined guide portion to supply the detergent dissolved in thewater to the washing tub of the washing machine.
 21. The detergentsupply device according to claim 20, wherein a width of the inclinedguide portion decreases from an upper end of the guide portion to alower end of the guide portion, such that a speed of a current of thewater with the dissolved detergent flowing along the guide portionincreases.
 22. The detergent supply device according to claim 20,further comprising a plurality of detergent chambers partitioned fromeach other, wherein the discharge unit is disposed within at least afirst of the detergent chambers and the inclined guide portion is formedadjacent to the discharge unit.
 23. The detergent supply deviceaccording to claim 22, further comprising a flow delay unit disposedwithin at least a second of the detergent chambers and a discharge holeformed through a rear surface of the second of the detergent chambers,the flow delay unit installed in front of the discharge hole anddelaying a discharge of the water through the discharge hole.
 24. Thedetergent supply device according to claim 22, further comprising achamber lid provided with a hole, the chamber lid covering an openedupper portion of one of the detergent chambers.